Arsenal spent Christmas Day on top of the Premier League but missed the chance to start 2024 in that same position after they followed up their home loss to West Ham United with a potentially damaging defeat at Fulham.
A draw at Liverpool and that surprise result against the Hammers meant Mikel Arteta’s side had failed to take a degree of control in the title race and, worse than that, had slipped to fourth in the table going into their trip to Craven Cottage.
Fulham had lost three league games in a row at an aggregate scoreline of 8-0 and appeared to be there for the taking when Bukayo Saka tapped in to put the visitors ahead early on.
But Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm and Fulham equalised through Raul Jimenez’s smart finish just before the half-hour mark, then took a decisive second-half lead when Bobby De Cordova-Reid smashed in from close range.
Arsenal had chances to equalise — Saka could have done better when he shot high and wide from a good position — but could not force an equaliser.
The result means Arteta’s side stay fourth, two points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Amy Lawrence dissects a troubling afternoon for Arsenal…
Has this blip torn the heart out of Arsenal’s title challenge?
There is no sugar-coating the cold, hard, numbers. Four points from a possible 15. Three losses from the past five matches. The damage is stark and bleak.
Arsenal have squandered momentum and the most disheartening aspect is that a pair of unhappy Christmas defeats in London derbies are unarguable.
When Arsenal were beaten by Newcastle United and Aston Villa, they played well enough to merit points from both. But a rotten few days, outmanoeuvred by West Ham and now Fulham, simply leave the Gunners with a lot of self-reflection to do. They look laboured, short of confidence, and underwhelming across the pitch. The road back towards the top of the table is an uphill one.
Premier League table
| Position | Team | Played | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
19 |
23 |
42 |
|
|
2 |
20 |
16 |
42 |
|
|
3 |
19 |
24 |
40 |
|
|
4 |
20 |
17 |
40 |
|
|
5 |
20 |
13 |
39 |
What has happened to Arsenal’s defensive security?
Their previously robust defence has unravelled. In seven Premier League games across December, they managed only one clean sheet and conceded 10 times.
They have completely lost their defensive bearings and their sense of security has reverted to last season’s issues, when frailty at the back and individual errors were punished too often.
This is a serious headache for Arteta, who was entitled to think the foundations were stronger when Arsenal were limiting their goals-against tally. The warning signs were there when Arsenal conceded three at Luton three and a half weeks ago. Back then, they could score their way out of trouble. Not now.
The Athletic match dashboard, showing how Arsenal had more of the ball but failed to handle Fulham’s counter-attacking threat
Is an Nketiah-Jesus front two a serious alternative?
Arteta has been wedded to his system for some time but in the past two games, the urgency of the situation has forced him to change, moving to a back three to push on an extra centre-forward.
With questions abounding about whether Arsenal require a more orthodox striker, with the presence, physicality and clinical edge to lead them with more regular authority, they have ended the past two matches with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah on the pitch.
It did not, however, make a difference. There is no denying Arsenal’s blunter edge. Their scoring from open play is well outside the top sector of the division, and the lack of incisiveness is a major issue.
Significantly. As the games pass this season, the Timber-shaped hole in the squad is beginning to feel more and more obvious.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been exposed recently, so, at Craven Cottage, it was Jakub Kiwior’s turn in the inverted left-back position.
Kiwior mostly did fine, asked to knit play together in midfield while also covering at the back. Unfortunately for Arsenal, they suffered when he was not quite in the right place to cut out the cross for Fulham’s equaliser.
Takehiro Tomiyasu came on for the second half, and was inadvertently involved in Arsenal conceding a second when the ball squirmed off him. His fitness issues and upcoming absence for the Asian Cup, which runs from January 12 to February 10, are problematic. Timber possesses the ideal attributes to control the inverted left-back area, but Arsenal must wait.
What did Arteta say?
“We weren’t good enough. We lost three days ago when we deserved to win, but today we were nowhere near that level. We conceded two very similar goals, giving the ball away. Defensively we were second best.
“This is the game you have to isolate as it is our worst performance of the season.”
What next for Arsenal?
Sunday, January 7: Liverpool (H), FA Cup, 4:30pm GMT, 11:30am ET
An FA Cup third-round tie fit to be the competition’s final, which this fixture has been three times — in 1950, 1971 and 2001. These two met in the Premier League at Anfield just a couple of weeks ago, with the match finishing 1-1 (which in this case would mean a replay on Merseyside). Arsenal beat Liverpool 3-2 on their most recent visit to the Emirates Stadium in October 2022, but were the losing side on their own pitch in the three before that by an aggregate score of 7-0.
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(Top photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
